


Protector of the Flame

by FiresFromOurHearts



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clan Politics, Gen, Konoha politics, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, No Uchiha Massacre, Peace, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rip when short fics aren't really short, Scars, Uchiha Hikaku is here to solve all the problems, Uchiha Hikaku-centric, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiresFromOurHearts/pseuds/FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: Uchiha Hikaku has been around for a long, long time. He's not about to let the Uchiha Clan bring about their own deaths. He has fought for peace and he will fight for it again.(And perhaps he'll remember what it's like to not be so lonely.)
Relationships: Senju Tobirama & Uchiha Hikaku, Uchiha Hikaku & Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Hikaku & Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Hikaku & Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Hikaku & Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Hikaku & Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Hikaku & Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Hikaku & Uzumaki Mito
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	Protector of the Flame

Uchiha Hikaku is old. Old by the standards of ninjas and civilians alike. _Especially_ old considering his generation. Nowadays, he’s really one of the few fighters left from his era of war and death. All his closest friends have gone; most a long, long time ago. Now Hikaku just has grey hair and wrinkles and scars that never fade away.

There’s his left knee, which always aches when the weather gets cold. He’d dislocated his kneecap and torn his ACL back before Konoha’s founding, and it had healed perfectly. Then, a few months after Konoha’s foundations had been laid, he’d shattered his kneecap and required surgery. The scar is harsh against his skin but his knee had healed almost perfectly thanks to the Senju healers—not entirely perfectly though. It always aches in cold weather now.

It’s not alone, either. There are the lightning scars that crawl over his shoulder. They have a habit of pulsing during storms, an old ache that lingers. On really bad days, his shoulder is almost too stiff to move. But Hikaku’s gotten used to that. He has many scars and he’s used to their various aches.

Except for one. One that he avoids talking about as much as possible, and most people don’t ask about the stories behind scars which helps. It doesn’t ache in awful weather, only when things are about to go to shit. It always ached before the wars, though maybe that’s just Hikaku’s memories playing up on him. He’s old enough that they can probably do that now.

The scar aches now. An awful, deep thing that extends out through his body, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. For a moment, Hikaku considers ignoring it. Old scars ache, he knows that, and he’s old enough that most of his body aches these days. But…

Something is wrong.

Cursing himself, Hikaku pulls himself to his feet. He sways, unsteady for barely a second, and then leaves his house. It sits on the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound, almost opposite Konoha, only because he had wanted to be left alone after passing down the Clan Head position to another Uchiha. Not that it should have been his to pass down. Hikaku wasn’t meant to lead the Clan and had only ended up doing so because everyone else was gone and he had the strength to do so. He’d been somewhat better than the Clan Head before him—not that that says much considering those final few months.

The paved stones beneath his feet are wonky and uneven, yet Hikaku walks them easily. He’s old, yes, but he had been a ninja and hasn’t left that lifestyle behind, retired as he may be. Even his vision remains almost perfect, though he has fought with the Sharingan for many years, occasionally even using his Mangekyō Sharingan.

There are almost no Uchihas out in the early hours of the evening, which Hikaku will freely admit is weird. Then again, the Uchiha Clan Compound _has_ been quieter than normal in the past few months. Hikaku had just assumed that people had been staying in Konoha longer, spending less time in the outskirts of the Compound near his house. It seems he might’ve been wrong and that everyone’s just… inside for one reason or another. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s been wrong and it likely won’t be the last.

The few Uchihas that Hikaku does see just nod to him. They don’t seem to know who he is, which is probably because Hikaku rarely leaves his house to interact with others and certainly has no desire to announce who he is. He’s always been willing to remain in the background and be a proper ninja unlike some he could name— _Izuna_.

As he gets further into the Compound, the quiet remains and Hikaku’s steps get quicker, get softer. It feels like with every step he takes, he should be getting younger, that there should be others joining him, but he walks alone and with all his aching scars. Then—there’s a noise, from nearby, and-

And it’s a desolate area of the Compound, the nearest houses are a good few hundred metres away. The sound certainly won’t carry that far away, but the voices are full of fear and one of pain.

Hikaku has never left someone alone in pain, not in the last few decades. He’s not going to start now either. He doesn’t continue walking. Instead, he runs, heading towards where the noise came from. The sound of the Naka River grows in his ears, loud and roaring; the storm from the last night must’ve made the river swollen.

It feels like there are storm clouds gathering overhead, dark and full of rain, but there’s only the moon shining down. Up ahead, on the cliff, there’s an Uchiha. Hikaku’s chakra sparks behind his eyes and his Sharingan begins to spin. Now, even with the distance between them, he can make out the blood streaming from the Uchiha’s eyes and there are injuries covering his body and clearly something has gone very, very wrong. There’s another Uchiha opposite him, even younger—and they are both _children_. Hikaku had thought they’d left the days of child soldiers behind, but it looks like they haven’t.

The Uchiha on the cliff begins to raise their hand to their last remaining eye and Hikaku is _not_ going to watch another clanmate tear his eyes out for someone else. Without hand seals, he lays a genjutsu across the injured Uchiha, letting them think they move even as their physical body remains still.

Now, the younger Uchiha—the Clan Heir, if Hikaku recalls correctly though he’s never met the boy—turns towards him, chakra cresting dangerously, Sharingan spinning wildly out of control.

Hikaku crosses the distance between them in heartbeats, catches the younger Uchiha in an earth jutsu to keep him contained, and stops just before the injured Uchiha. He’s never been much of a medic-nin, but he does know field aid and learnt a few medic jutsus when given the opportunity because he knows all too well the need for medical aid in the field, knows all too well the screams of the injured and dying.

His chakra flickers to his fingertips and begins to glow green. The diagnostic jutsu blares many problems at him, almost too many to take notice of. There’s the missing eye, cuts and lacerations across his body, a burn on his left shoulder, and a poison thrashing its way through his veins. Hikaku breathes out slowly. This is too much for him alone to deal with, especially when he doesn’t exactly know what the poison is.

But he can delay it. He can buy them a few hours at least, and so he breaks the genjutsu, lets the boy see his Sharingan eyes, and then says, “Sleep.” It’s a command, more than anything else, but accompanied with a medical jutsu that puts someone into a coma to slow their bodily functions down. The boy tries to fight it briefly, but then he sighs and relaxes.

Hikaku probably shouldn’t have knocked him out without talking to him, but the only thing he saw was a boy attempting to gouge his last eye out and Hikaku was not having that. If he can help it, he never wants to see such a thing happen again.

Hefting the boy into his arms, Hikaku turns to the Clan Heir who’s still struggling to escape the earth jutsu. _Good._ Hikaku’s taken down many powerful ninjas with that and he’s not about to see a young boy break it. It’s good to know he hasn’t lost his touch yet, whether he’s technically retired or not.

“Who are you?” The Clan Heir scowls, fierce and angry and scared. So, so scared. Hikaku had been scared once upon a time, scared by a lot of things. There are only a few things that scare him now.

“I’m Hikaku,” he answers. “And, in this case, an ally—supposing you didn’t want the boy to give you his last eye?” Assuming that had been what was happening.

The Clan Heir seems to be growing less angry and more confused, which Hikaku will take. “I- No?”

“Good,” Hikaku says with a firm nod. “I’ve put him into a medical coma for a few hours which will stop the poison from killing him. During this time, you’re going to tell me what happened to drive him to taking such actions and why you’re out here when I’m certain you shouldn’t be.” He breaks his own jutsu with a flex of his own chakra, fracturing the way it’s kept the earth around the Clan Heir stubborn and still and stone.

“I can’t-” The Clan Heir chokes on his own words. And Hikaku remembers, once again, how young he is.

He gentles his voice. “Itachi-kun, I’m going to try and help you, but to do that I need to know what’s going on.”

By now, Itachi has clambered out of the hole Hikaku had dragged him into and is instead looking uncertain, unsure. But then his shoulders straighten, his head lifts, and he swallows. _Now_ , he looks like the Clan Heir and a ninja, despite his young age.

Hikaku has the funniest thought that Itachi doesn’t even know who he is, which is fair. After all, Hikaku keeps to himself for the most part and certainly has never met Itachi in person. He doesn’t think he’s too well known either—much of the history around Madara’s fall had been forgotten. Possibly for the better.

“The Uchiha Clan wants to launch a coup d’état,” Itachi says. “And Shisui and I have been trying to stop it.”

These are children, battle-hardened ninjas or not. How has anyone let them try to tackle problems involving civil wars?

“Well,” Hikaku says. “We can’t have that going on. Who’re the main instigators in this? The Elders I’m sure, upstart little twerps that they probably still are. Is Fugaku-kun in on this too? Mikoto-chan? What’s Hiruzen-san being doing to deal with this? Assuming that he’s involved in trying to prevent it, of course.”

“The Elders are involved, but so is a good percentage of the clan,” Itachi reports, somewhat monotone. “Fugaku-sama is leading this and… his wife doesn’t seem to mind at all. Sandaime-sama is trying to help us ease tensions and improve the Clan’s relations with Konoha.”

“But it’s not working,” Hikaku assumes and is assured of this by Itachi’s nod. “How did… Shisui-kun, you said?, end up like this?”

Itachi swallows. “We’ve been working with… with Danzō-sama. He said he could help us but neither Shisui or I were entirely sure as his methods are…. rumoured to be unpleasant, to say the least.”

Hikaku knows Tobirama’s team, both his war-time team and the ones he’d personally taught. Not well, admittedly, but he’d shown up a few times. He and Tobirama had been… friends, Hikaku likes to think. Drawn together because they had fought together, their respective positions in their clans, and also because they both understood the time before Konoha in a way few still did.

In a way only Hikaku does now.

“Right,” Hikaku says. There’s not going to be any easy solution to this. But peace hadn’t been easy either. Peace had been hard and difficult and objectively some of the worst shit that Hikaku had ever dealt with. He’d written treaties and tried to persuade the Elders to see his side even as Izuna died and Madara descended into grief and madness. “I’ll drag Fugaku-kun to Hiruzen-san and we’re going to have a _meeting_. Then I’ll deal with the Elders and Danzō-san can face me the moment he comes crawling out of the woodwork.” Then he pauses, _thinks_ for a heartbeat. “Never mind, I’m going to kill that murdering eye-stealer and Hiruzen-san will help me.” Because it had to have been Danzō who’d attacked Shisui, unless there’s some other ninja running around in Konoha stealing Sharingan eyes and attacking Uchiha without warning. And Shisui’s lack of an eye had been recent.

“Do you know all these people?” Itachi asks. “And what will happen to Shisui?”

“We’ll find him a safe place for now,” Hikaku answers. “And someone who’ll be able to keep guard too.” There aren’t many people that Hikaku trusts. Very few, in fact, especially considering that he has no one left from his own generation. But there’s a few allies that Hikaku can still call on, though he doesn’t know them very well. In this, at least, they will work with him.

The safe place in question is actually a family Hikaku sees somewhat often. A family of ninjas, whose grandparent or someone he’d taught long ago. They live close to him, occasionally sending someone to check in on him. He’s grateful for the company, though sometimes he feels ancient in comparison. Then again, he _is_ ancient these days so perhaps that makes sense.

Hikaku moves quickly now, silent over the rooftops. No one takes any notice, and Itachi trails behind him cautiously, still nervous but refusing to be parted from his friend. The house he lands before is old, traditional in every meaning of the word, and even as Hikaku flares his chakra, the door is being eased open.

“Hikaku-sama?” The Uchiha asks, pushing curly black hair behind her ears. It immediately puffs out again, but then she sees the bleeding Uchiha in his arms and the door is fully opened. “Quick come in. Itachi-sama, you are welcome in our house too.” She turns to Hikaku. “What do you need?”

“Unknown poison,” Hikaku says. “I’ll need your spouse, please. I know they got back from a mission only the other day but-”

“For you, Hikaku-sama, you need only ask,” she says, and she retreats further into the house, likely going to wake her partner. Hikaku, in the meantime, lays Shisui down on the couch, running the diagnostic jutsu once again. Nothing’s gotten worse, at least, and his injuries have stopped bleeding and Hikaku has healed the minor ones he can. He doesn’t want to waste too much chakra tonight, not when help is nearby and he doesn’t know what the rest of the night will hold for him.

“Who are these people?” Itachi asks, voice soft but whisper still harsh. “And who are you?”

Feeling closer to his youth than ever before, Hikaku grins. “I’m Hikaku,” he says. “I taught someone in their family a generation or so back, and so they help me out when needed.”

Haru hurries into the room, glancing briefly at Hikaku who shakes his head. They turn to Shisui, hands glowing green. Haru is a medic-nin by training, though rarely enters the hospital, instead providing aid on missions as necessary. They’re a chūnin with almost a decade and a half of experience.

“Don’t listen to him,” Makoto says, having returned and bearing two teacups, which she presses on Itachi and Hikaku. Hikaku wants to scorn the tea, remembering times where they had been no time for such things, but there are habits he’s slipped into now that he’s in Konoha, and tea is one of them. Besides, that time is long gone.

He drinks the tea. It’s warm and trickles down his throat. The cup doesn’t shake in his hands—or in Itachi’s hands, but he has a feeling something is trembling in the room, and it’s certainly not him. “Yes, he taught my grandfather, but he also saved the life of my mother and my children too when I went into labour unexpectedly and there was no one around. Not only that, but Hikaku-sama has done a lot for our clan Itachi-sama,” Makoto says.

Hikaku waves his hand. “Overexaggerating,” he says, and Makoto sends him a look he probably deserves, but he shakes it off easily. “I taught someone in their family and their family has remained close friends with me ever since.”

“You do need checking up upon,” Makoto teases fondly and he rolls his eyes. “Itachi-sama, is there anything we can do for you?” Itachi glances at Shisui, and Makoto hurries to add, “Shisui-san will be safe with us. Haru will keep him alive and we’ll protect him with our lives, and you will find it is very tricky to go against us.”

“Listen to her,” Hikaku urges. “The wards here are impressive, and so are the people here. They may not be jōnins, but they are still strong. I would trust them with my life and those of the clan. Shisui-kun will be safe here.”

Itachi appears unsure, but then swallows. “If you say so, Hikaku-san,” and, clearly, he’s caught onto the fact that Hikaku isn’t a nobody, though Hikaku doubts he’s figured it out in full. Hikaku’s content to keep it that way for now.

“I do say so,” Hikaku says. “Makoto-chan, be on guard tonight and be wary. Either Itachi-kun or I will come back sometime soon for Shisui. Do not let anyone else in. If you need-”

“I know,” Makoto says. “Go. We’ll be okay.”

Hikaku has to trust her and he does. He trusts their whole family, it’s why he brought Shisui here. However, there’s also the fact he’s leaving a boy bleeding with a torn-out eye behind as he walks away, once again. Memories cluster at the forefront of his mind, but he ignores them as best he can. It’s harder than it should be.

“Will Fugaku-kun be home at the moment?” Hikaku asks as they leave the house behind. He drops a pace, so that he’s trailing behind Itachi, just enough to be in a guard position. It’s a position he filled a long, long time ago for a Clan Heir who’s been buried just as long.

“Yes,” Itachi says. “Is that your plan? To take him and go to Sandaime-sama?”

Hikaku raises one shoulder in a shrug. “Communication is the best solution,” he says, because maybe if they’d communicated a bit more during the Clan Wars, people dead would still be alive, and maybe Hikaku wouldn’t have a scar on his back. “And I have a feeling I’ll be able to get them to talk.” Even if he has to break out the childhood stories to do it, but he doubts it’ll come to that. His no-bullshit approach to life has solved many things and if it could deal with Izuna and Madara at the same time, he’s sure it can deal with Fugaku and Hiruzen.

When they reach the house of the Clan Head, Itachi hesitates. Hikaku doesn’t. Rather, he marches up to the door and raps on it sharply. It’s Mikoto who opens it, eyes widening when she sees him. He might not be well known, but he babysat Fugaku for a time and had been there at their wedding. “Hikaku-sama,” Mikoto says, bowing. “Please, come inside.” She pauses upon seeing Itachi and Hikaku remains on the porch, rather than entering.

“I need to talk to Fugaku-kun,” Hikaku says, and Mikoto’s eyes flicker inside briefly. “And I would rather not have to go get him myself.” He lets a touch of steel enter his voice, lets it warn Mikoto that no one will be standing in his way tonight. Fugaku may be Clan Head but he’s not Hikaku’s Clan Head, though he’ll bow his head and follow Fugaku—so long as he agrees with the younger Uchiha’s decisions. Hikaku is not one to be blindly led and he cares little for keeping his own peace with everyone. It’s not like there’s anyone he’s close to who will find themselves in trouble for his actions.

Mikoto dips her head. “I’ll go get him, Hikaku-sama,” she says, demure in a way she isn’t. Hikaku knows a thing or two about masks and makes no mention of hers. The callouses on her fingers and muscles in her body still prove she trains. She’s no simple housewife—and she is, in a way, family. But the Uchiha Clan as a whole are family and perhaps Hikaku has forgotten that, having isolated himself as he did.

Fugaku exits the house looking tall and proud and stubborn. Hikaku glances at him and snorts. “Come,” he says, turning on his heel. He hears Fugaku stomp after him, aggrieved and angry, and he waits for the other to begin shouting at him.

“Why have you come to demand me like this?” Fugaku says. “I’m your Clan Head!”

Looking over his shoulder, Hikaku raises an eyebrow. “Come along, Fugaku-kun,” he says. “We have business to deal with such as this ridiculous coup d’état bullshit.”

He watches as Fugaku shoots his son a sharp look, and it sits ill in Hikaku’s stomach. It makes him feel unsettled enough that he stops, turning to face the other. “Fugaku-kun,” he says seriously, letting all lightness fade away from him, “I have seen war like what you wish to incite and it will be even worse now. I have watched far too many of us die to see it happen again. People died for the peace we now have and I will not have you—or anyone else—break it. You will speak with Hiruzen-san about your legitimate grievances and we will take steps to deal with them.”

Beneath his gaze, Fugaku finally nods. “Very well,” he says, seeming to grip to his mantle as Clan Head like it’s the only thing keeping him upright. “And what of the things that cannot be solved? We have been isolated, Hikaku-sama. We are being pushed aside! Such things cannot change easily.”

“And Konoha was not built in a day,” Hikaku counters. “Even though Hashirama-san’s abilities would have let us do so. Even before then, there had been much to do such as peace treaties to draft. If you wish to leave Konoha, we did write in ways you can leave the village without them standing against you.” Then, slightly more quietly, he adds, “You only need _ask_ for help, Fugaku-kun.”

He lets Fugaku be with that, turning instead to see Itachi. “And we will deal with Danzō too. Do not think he has been forgotten, Itachi-kun.”

Itachi ducks his head, and he looks a little bit awed now. Hikaku thinks he’s realised who the random Uchiha come to help him is now. He leads them onward, over rooftops, and to where the Hokage still slaves away even as the moon continues to rise.

He doesn’t have a plan on how to deal with Danzō, and Hikaku is certain the other is dangerous, especially if he got the better of Shisui—known prodigy and Mangekyō Sharingan user. But ninjas these days don’t fight like those of Hikaku’s generation and Shisui likely hadn’t been expected to be attacked by a supposed ally. These are the advantages that Hikaku is certain he has.

The Hokage’s Building is largely empty and Hikaku walks up the stairs somewhat easily. His knee aches since the night has grown chilly but he ignores it, circulating fire chakra through it instead. It keeps away the worst of the ache and is partially soothing.

They finally come across a person outside the Hokage’s Office, the receptionist. Likely an ANBU, Hikaku knows, and they certainly are surprised to see the Hokage having guests so late, as they immediately stand up, hands fluttering at their sides. “The Hokage isn’t hosting meetings right now I’m afraid,” they chirp.

“If you could let him know that Uchiha Hikaku is here to see him,” Hikaku says, “that may change.” The receptionist’s eyes narrow for less than a second and Hikaku meets their gaze evenly. “Please, for me. I’m an old man and these bones ache. We’ve come quite far tonight.”

The receptionist hesitates for a heartbeat, then dips their head in a nod and enters the Hokage’s office after a light knock. “Are you sure this will work?” Fugaku hisses, Itachi hovering unsurely at his back.

“Have faith,” Hikaku replies softly, just as the receptionist returns with a curious expression.

“Hokage-sama will see you,” the receptionist says with a smile. They settle back behind their desk once again.

“Thank you for your help,” Hikaku says, and then he enters the Hokage’s Office.

Hiruzen looks… surprisingly old, for a man of his age. He’s a decade and a bit younger than Hikaku—he doesn’t keep track of their ages—but he looks older. Leadership has clearly taken its toll and Hikaku isn’t surprised. There’s a reason he didn’t lead the Clan until he died, and part of that had been because of the weight of the Clan Head mantle.

“Hikaku-san,” Hiruzen says, standing up. “It’s been far too long.” He looks behind Hikaku as the other two Uchihas come into the room, and he smiles at them. “Fugaku-san, Itachi-kun. It’s good to see both of you.”

“Is it?” Hikaku asks mildly. “Hiruzen-san, we’ve known each other for a rather long time now. So I’d like to ask how you were proceeding with preventing civil war from erupting in Konoha.”

It’s unlikely that Hiruzen is often surprised, but he looks surprised now. Good to know that Hikaku still has it. “After all,” he continues, “the Uchiha Clan will likely keep pressing at their boundaries and rage against the inconsiderate limitations placed that go against Konoha’s Charter in relation to the Clans. And, should you press on these limitations, we’d have a right to bring the matter up before the Clan Council. But I’m sure such things will not happen because we are going to discuss matters like the civil ninjas we are. Correct?”

He looks first to Fugaku, who nods, though sour about it, then to Hiruzen. The old man looks surprised, but then his face softens and for a second, Hikaku is reminded of the child that followed behind Tobirama like a little duckling.

“It has been a long, long time since you’ve left the Compound,” Hiruzen says. It’s clear he now remembers that Hikaku is an equal, rather than someone who’s a subordinate or a simple elder. “Things have changed.”

“Life changes,” Hikaku says. “And I left the Compound four days ago to go buy flowers and visit some old graves. _You_ haven’t visited the Compound often enough. My Clan should be out and about, not trapped within their houses. And yes, for sure, some of this is Fugaku-kun’s fault but there is a reason the Clan remains behind their walls and gates where they are safe. If the Uchiha are fearing for their safety in Konoha, then the reason _for_ Konoha has failed. Rumours are impossible to squash if you do not take steps to prove them wrong, Hiruzen-san.”

Hiruzen lights his pipe and Hikaku lets him have his silence, willing to wait him out. Eventually Hizuen breathes out a circle of smoke. “It’s been too long since you have played in this field of politics, Hikaku-san. You should’ve come sooner.”

“Yes,” Hikaku agrees immediately, and is pleased to see the surprise that crosses Hiruzen’s face before it’s quickly hidden. “I was lost to my grief and remember what had been and how much better things now are. I see now that perhaps my perspective has been needed. But I cannot change the past, Hiruzen-san. I cannot prevent deaths or return lives; I can only learn from the mistakes I have made. I am here now, Hiruzen-san. That will be enough.”

“Will it?”

“I will make it so,” Hikaku answers. “I think we can agree that we will not be taking extreme measures against the Uchiha Clan or Konoha, correct?”

It takes Fugaku a minute or two, but eventually he nods. “The Uchiha Clan will hold their peace,” he says. “But we cannot remain this way forever, Hokage-sama. My clan grows restless and angry at being locked up. Things must change.”

“On both sides,” Hikaku says. “Peace means compromises.” It’s something that no one had said in his time, but it is something that Mito had said, many years ago. He can’t quite remember why she had said it, but it had stuck with him over the years. One more thing to remember the Uzumaki by.

“Indeed,” Hiruzen says. “Do you have any proposals, Hikaku-san?”

Hikaku barely has an idea what’s going on. He only knows the bare facts of the situation. But, at the moment, the bare facts are all he really needs to know. “You need to show that you still trust the Uchiha,” he says to Hiruzen. “I can’t say it’ll help civilian sentiments much, but it’ll improve ninja-held beliefs if you place some more Uchihas on dangerous missions. Not to mention, showing that you trust them in positions of authority would be helpful, but that will take more time and such positions do have to be earnt.

“The Uchiha Clan can also take steps to involve itself with Konoha as a whole,” he continues, glancing at Fugaku. “Host a celebration that allows for outsiders to enter the Compound, let people go further out into Konoha. But also change the regulations surrounding the Uchiha Police Force. Don’t have only Uchihas running it either. Invite those from outside the clan. That way any aggression surrounding the Police Force is not solely aimed at the Uchiha Clan.”

“That’s written into our rules though,” Fugaku replies, frowning. “The Nidaime himself wrote that it must be so.”

“Yes,” Hikaku agrees. “At a time when the Senju Clan had control over the hospital. It was about involving both clans equally within Konoha and making sure neither could argue that one was in a better position than the other. However, the hospital is now in the hands of Konoha rather than the Senju Clan. The police force hasn’t changed though, and perhaps it should have. Tobirama-san built Konoha based on what the time was and how society was then, things have changed since then and we _must_ change with them. Or we get what we now have—lingering resentment and the beginnings of what could be war if we do not act swiftly.”

He can’t say for sure what Tobirama had been thinking when he’d created the Uchiha Police Force, but he trusts the other to have had good intentions. After all, without the war, the Uchiha and Senju Clans had been amiable, for the most part. There were a few that had still hated the other clan, but they were a minority.

“These will require a number of meetings,” Hiruzen says. He pauses, considering them, and Hikaku breathes out steadily. He feels alive like he hasn’t in many years. “But doable, I think. Fugaku-san?”

Fugaku bows, sincere. “Thank you, Hokage-sama. I look forward to working with you.”

Now, there is only Itachi’s problem of Danzō to worry about. The Clan Heir looks rather worried, though he’s done his best to hide it. There’s only a slight flicker of eyes to suggest his concern.

“There is, however, one more concern to speak about.” Hikaku glances at Hiruzen, then Fugaku and Itachi. He’s not entirely sure how to bring up the topic of Hiruzen’s once-teammate. From what Hikaku knows of village politics, Danzō is still a treasured member of Hiruzen’s advisory council, along with Homura and Koharu—the remnants of a team torn apart by war and time. Kagami has been buried for a number of years, so has Torifu. Then, of course, there is Tobirama; the one who had been the first to die. “I have reason to believe that Danzō-san is responsible for eye-theft of at least one Uchiha.”

Fugaku’s face pales, hands forming fists at his sides, and Itachi shifts his weight. Hiruzen doesn’t react outwardly, but his chakra grows and slams down on them, laced with killing intent. Hikaku doesn’t move, continues to breathe easily. He has weathered many, many battlefields full of killing intent and it’s definitely not the best weapon to use against him.

“On what grounds do you make this accusation, Hikaku-san?”

The atmosphere is dangerous, deadly. Hikaku breathes through it and thinks of Shisui’s missing eye, and wonders if there are more missing eyes and perhaps even people who remain unaccounted for. “There is a victim,” Hikaku says. “Still alive and kept safe at the moment. At the very least, we should be able to speak to-”

A knock on the door cuts him off. Hiruzen nods at Itachi to open the door. Behind it, the receptionist stands. “Danzō-sama is here, Hokage-sama. He said you would need his presence in this meeting?”

There’s no reason why Danzō should even know of this meeting, and Hikaku sees that thought on Hiruzen’s face. Once again, it’s quickly hidden, but there’s caution there now, thoughtfulness where previously there had been only offence.

“Let him in,” the Hokage says with a gentle smile and Hikaku slips backward, settling in on Fugaku’s other side and no longer claiming the limelight. Fugaku’s eyes narrow and Itachi shoots him a look, but they both keep their peace.

Hikaku lets himself shift, stooping a little, letting his right hand tremble a tiny bit. It doesn’t take too much concentration, and he certainly won’t look like a threat. With any luck, Danzō will think him a boring Uchiha elder incapable of fighting. There must be some benefits to keeping out of the public eye, surely.

The man who enters the room is a far cry from the child Hikaku remembers. For one, he’s taller, but there are also bandages covering his right eye and he has a walking stick. _Hikaku_ doesn’t have a walking stick. He could understand it if the other had an injury or something, but the limp looks something almost carefully created and Hikaku has his doubts about its truth.

Danzō sweeps into the room like he owns it, walking stick tapping the wooden floorboards. He glances at the Uchihas, before moving to stand close to Hiruzen, though not quite crossing to the same side of the desk.

“Hiruzen,” Danzō says. “Forgive me for coming at such a late hour, but I did hear you had guests.”

Hiruzen waves his hand. “Indeed. You know you’re welcome here. The Uchiha Clan were just telling me somethings they were worried about.”

“Oh?” Danzō glances at Fugaku, but his eyes pause on Itachi. “What grievances do the Uchiha Clan have?”

“What’s behind your bandages?” It’s not Fugaku who growls out the question, but Itachi. Once again, Hikaku is reminded of how young Itachi is and how stressful all of this must be.

“What are you accusing me of?” Danzō’s voice contains only affront, and he turns to Hiruzen. “Hiruzen, you can’t be thinking that I’m some- some eye stealer! I would never do such a thing.”

Hiruzen raises an eyebrow. “Then you’ve got nothing to lose.”

“What about my trust?” Danzō says. “Does our past mean nothing? What about _teamwork_?”

“Sounding awfully defensive there,” Fugaku says, clearly throwing his weight behind Itachi.

“I have nothing to prove to any of you,” Danzō says, and his voice is level, the defensive edge remains though. He turns to Hiruzen with a derisive expression. “Surely you don’t believe this… nonsense Hiruzen?”

In the end, Hiruzen is Konoha’s Hokage first and foremost. Team ties do not come before Konoha as a whole, and the Uchiha Clan is part of that. Hikaku watches, out of place pride in his chest, as Hiruzen simply raises an eyebrow. “Do you have something to lose, Danzō?”

It’s only now that Danzō seems to realise the gig is up, his chakra flares, violent and deadly, and a barrier activates around the Hokage’s Office. No one will be getting in or out easily. Hiruzen’s ANBU appear in less than a second, but so do ANBU with plain masks, and immediately the ANBU are involved in their own fierce fight.

The non-ANBU have higher numbers, and Hikaku narrows his eyes. “Protect Hiruzen-san,” he snaps at Itachi. “Fugaku-kun, with me!”

Hiruzen is already darting forward, aiming for Danzō but Danzō shifts around it easily. With a single gesture, he removes the bandages from his face and reveals a Sharingan whirling there. The bandages hiding part of his arm are removed too, and two more Sharingans are revealed. Fugaku snarls, low and deadly, and Hikaku doesn’t bother hiding his own snarl. Eye stealing is a hideous act and even the Senju, the Uchiha Clan’s worst enemies, didn’t stoop to such levels. Those who did, no matter their clan and their relationship to the Uchiha, were quickly killed and so were their families.

Chakra strong beneath his skin, Hikaku activates his Sharingan. It slices through two genjutsu laid on him and he clashes against Danzō; a kunai meeting Danzō’s staff, which is being used as a bō. Danzō grins at him, Sharingan whirling wildly and it makes Hikaku _sick_.

Shifting, Hikaku ducks and slides backward as Fugaku rises to meet Danzō. Then Hiruzen comes from the side, but Danzō dances around the blow with ease, and another of those wrongly-masked ANBU appears, shoving Hiruzen further away. It’s somewhat surprising as Hikaku had assumed that Danzō would be after Hiruzen’s death.

“Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan can cast a mind-controlling genjutsu,” Itachi whispers to Hikaku in the single second they pass each other. In that heartbeat, Hikaku understands Danzō’s plan. If Danzō can control Hiruzen, he places himself in control of Konoha with ease. Thus, as long as everyone else dies here tonight, Danzō will be in power. And, assuming everyone dies, Danzō can claim that the Uchiha Clan is at fault and call for recompense.

Not that Hikaku will let that happen. So long as he lives, that will _not_ happen. His Sharingan spins faster and turns into the Mangekyō Sharingan and Hikaku moves faster in response. Danzō keeps up, the three Sharingan continuing to layer genjutsu over genjutsu, but they break easily beneath Hikaku’s Sharingan and expertise.

The room’s too confined for any of Hikaku’s best moves and the barrier keeps them all contained. It doesn’t look like it’s a particularly strong barrier however. Oh it might last so long as Hiruzen doesn’t test his might against it and so long as Danzō’s ninjas keep Hiruzen distracted, such a thing won’t happen. But Hikaku is here and Hikaku is not being distracted by such ninjas.

His chakra swells and he lets it go. The chakra flares outward, the light blinding Hikaku for a moment, and then he’s looking through a blue glow. It envelops him and he feels chakra surge, flickering against his skin. Around him, his Susanoo forms. Only a base layer, the bones curling around him as the blue chakra swirls around it like muscles of some kind.

Safe, Hikaku grins and launches himself forward, one half-formed hand curling around Danzō and refusing to let go. The Susanoo slams into the office wall, which splinters to pieces, and then hits the barrier. For a few seconds, the barrier stands strong and stands still, but then it fractures outward and Hikaku lands on the street, dropping Danzō as he does so.

The street isn’t wide enough for his Susanoo, but standing side-on Hikaku can kind-of make it work. Danzō appears to be stuck still, staring at him, and Hikaku tugs on his chakra, forming hand-seals. He sends a massive fireball towards Danzō who easily dodges it. None of the Sharingan he has, it appears, have the Mangekyō and so Hikaku can stand up against him as a result.

However, the small size of the street works against him and he lets go of his Susanoo, instead charging towards Danzō with only a kunai in hand. Once again, fire blooms and Danzō counters it with a surge of water. The water jutsu, though, seems inferior compared to those Hikaku has seen. He can’t help but compare it to one of Tobirama’s water jutsus, but no one has ever come close to Tobirama’s skill level with water ninjutsu—not in Hi no Kuni at least.

“Did Tobirama-sama not teach you water ninjutsu?” Hikaku asks, not so much as pressing Danzō’s buttons as dancing all over them.

Danzō snarls and it’s clear as day he’s given up trying to control the battlefield now. He speeds through a set of hand-seals and Hikaku leaps out of the way of a nasty wind jutsu that slashes through the ground and leaves gouges in the stone.

Hikaku can’t help but laugh as he spins around and dodges jutsu that could kill him. It feels so easy. He feels so alive. He takes a slash on his arm over losing his head, and hamstrings Danzō, making him limp for real this time. The other snarls and he’s forced to back away from a flurry of blows that crack the pavement stones.

“Tobirama-sama really chose wrong when he picked you as a student,” Hikaku says, keeping his eyes on Danzō even as Itachi slinks out of the Hokage’s Office and into the shadows of the street.

While Hikaku had taken many assassination missions and is rather good at attacking from the shadows, in a battle, he is a front-line ninja who only comes from the shadows when someone else is acting as a distraction. Those Hikaku fought beside have been gone for a long time, and so he now serves as the distraction himself.

“Tobirama-sensei did what was needed for Konoha,” Danzō says back, aggression clear in his voice. “And all his beliefs were right too! The Uchiha Clan is made up of dogs and your kekkei genkai would be better served in another’s hand.”

“And I suppose you’re that person,” Hikaku remarks drily, flipping over a group of senbon and pulling up an earth wall that blocks the following brace of kunai. They thunk into the wall and Hikaku goes for one of his favourite jutsus, a fire one that roars loudly and lights up almost all of the street though doesn’t do much damage. It does, however, deepen the shadows that Itachi has chosen to hide in.

It also drives Danzō back. He takes one step back, and then Hikaku charges forward and kicks out with a heavy foot. The chakra-powered attack blows past Danzō’s defence and slams into his sternum, sending the other ninja flying back. Now, Itachi takes his chance, darting out of the shadows and slashing out with a kunai.

Danzō spins, defending himself, and Hikaku launches forward. From above, Hiruzen leaps out of the Hokage’s Office, the non-ANBUs clearly dealt with. It gives Hikaku a few seconds where Danzō is distracted enough that he doesn’t see the attack coming from his right, and Hikaku reaches out with lightning speed and gouges out the Sharingan eye.

He leaps backward, the eye held carefully in his hand. It’s gooey and awful and feels disgusting and Hikaku burns it with a hand full of flames. The ashes drop and Hikaku is only thankful that the owner of the eye can now be at rest as the eye is no longer stolen.

Snarling, Danzō leaps forward, but the missing eye has clearly put him off balance as now Itachi lashes out and cuts off his arm that holds the other Sharingans. Before Danzō can turn to attack Itachi, though, Hiruzen is there and forcing Danzō back onto the defensive.

The teammates fight and Hikaku slinks back into the shadows. Nothing aches. Not even his back. He waits, watching, patient and careful and completely ready to attack the moment he gets the chance. Then-

There!

Hiruzen hesitates at a vital moment, the second he could make a crucial attack, and Hikaku _does not_. It’s almost like he’s given speed by the ghosts that watch over him, he surges forward and lands right in Danzō’s personal space, and slices his throat.

The blood splatters across him and Danzō gasps for breath. Then, he falls.

Hikaku stands over the body, shoulders rising and falling as he pants. He waits, wondering whether Danzō is still alive, but there is no movement. Itachi crouches cautiously and rolls Danzō over. A few seconds later, he looks up and nods.

A sigh escapes Hikaku, and he rolls his shoulder. He’s injured, of that he has no doubts. But it’s nothing major and his wounds will heal with time. “Hikaku-sama?”

That’s Itachi, whose eyes are perhaps wider than they should be, and Hikaku pulls himself together. “Good work Itachi-kun,” he says. Then, turning to look at Hiruzen, he says, “Hiruzen-san?”

The Sandaime has never looked more like an old man. For a moment, Hikaku pities him, but Hiruzen is the Hokage and Konoha is never weak. “Hikaku-san,” Hiruzen says with a slow inhale. “I regret that it has come to this.”

“We can do nothing but move on,” Hikaku says softly. “And though it is hard and challenging, we live on.” He thinks of the wound on his back, the way it aches forebodingly, the way he occasionally dreams of a kunai sinking into his back. He breathes out slowly. “And you are not alone, Hiruzen-san.”

It looks like Hiruzen might respond to that, but then he glances at Itachi and straightens. His ANBU appear around him, though one is missing. “Call in the ANBU Commander and Shikaku-san,” Hiruzen orders. “And go get the rest of the department heads and Clan Heads. Call for an emergency council. I wanted it yesterday.” One ANBU disappears in a blur of speed. “Fugaku-san, do I have your help in this?”

Fugaku bows. “You have my aid and that of my clan.”

This is far from the end, Hikaku knows. In fact, it’s likely that this is only just the beginning of the long uphill battle Hiruzen and Fugaku will have to fight together. But it _is_ the start. It’s also likely that Hikaku will be involved in future discussions, but he doesn’t think he minds. At least he won’t be the one dealing with Danzō’s forces.

Still, there is more to deal with. The Uchiha Elders, for one, and Hikaku is willing to shoulder this burden rather than letting Fugaku deal with it. He already knows they’re bound for a very busy next few days, if not weeks. “I’ll speak to the Elders,” Hikaku says, glancing at Fugaku. “Itachi-kun will see to Shisui.”

“Very well,” Fugaku says. Then, with a wry smile, he adds, “And good luck.”

“I hope to see you soon, Hikaku-san,” Hiruzen says.

Hikaku inclines his head. “So it shall be, Hiruzen-san.”

Then, turning, he heads towards the Uchiha Clan Compound, Itachi keeping pace beside him. “Are you uninjured, Itachi-kun?”

“Bruises only,” Itachi murmurs, after a pause. “Yourself?”

“I’ll heal,” Hikaku says. “When I return home, I will take care of my injuries.”

There’s another pause, but this one’s a bit longer—a bit more considering. Then, with a thoughtful tone, Itachi says, “You’re Hikaku from the time of the Founders, aren’t you? The one who led the Clan following Madara’s betrayal?”

Betrayal makes it seem so much simpler than it had been. The scar on Hikaku’s back throbs. “Yeah,” he breathes out. “I am. But it’s been a long time since then.”

“Do you really think everything will work out?”

“Yes,” Hikaku says, because he is certain of that much. “I do think Hiruzen-san and Fugaku-kun will try to ensure it. But I know we will too. And I’m sure Shisui-kun will as well, don’t you think?”

Itachi nods, and Hikaku smiles. He’s so determined and so proud and so young. They come to a stop in front of the house where Shisui is resting. “Go on,” Hikaku says. “Shisui-kun is sure to be waiting and I’ve got some more work to do.” Then, seeing Itachi’s uncertainty and taking a guess at the cause, he says, “And you can always come find me if you need too. I won’t be disappearing and continuing to isolate myself any time soon. Not anymore.”

The door opens and Makoto is there. Hikaku waves and then turns, heading towards his own house at a quick pace. The wards accept him with a soft hum and he heads to the kitchen, where he retrieves the first aid kit. Peeling off his bloodied clothing, he gets to work patching up his wounds.

Though he doesn’t have much chakra left after the fight, he has enough to heal the worst wounds, closing up cuts that would otherwise require stitches. A number of his scars are aching, but Hikaku knows how to ignore them and does so. Once he’s patched up his wounds, disinfected cuts and placed down gauze and bandages, he retreats to the bedroom. He leaves the clothes in an old, largely unused basket. He will decide whether they can be washed and reused for another day, or if the blood has ruined them.

Instead, he pulls on clothes that haven’t been worn in what seems like lifetimes. Rather than his everyday clothes that easily allow him to blend in with the rest of the Konoha population, he pulls on the clothes he wore back when he had been Clan Head. With the Uchiha mon resting on his back, he retreats to the bathroom. His hair, which he usually leaves loosely tied up, is pulled back into a high ponytail. Then, back in the bedroom, he locates an old chain.

The metal is cold in his hands. He had stopped wearing it around the time of Konoha’s founding and Izuna’s death and Madara’s betrayal. It means many, many things to him. But, most of all, it means protection and family and safety.

Rather than connecting it to his clothing to go on his shoulder, as he had worn it once, he wears it as a necklace. Not the most common thing, but this way no one will miss it. Hopefully, those who see him and know him will recognise it as the symbol he wants it to be. Even if it means nothing to them, it means something to him and that’s all that really matters.

Stepping outside, he finds the sun beginning to rise. The sky has streaks of colour, the darkness of night being chased away by purple, which is followed by pink and orange and yellow. It’s a beautiful sunrise and Hikaku pays no attention to it. Instead, he walks, steady and soft and perfectly balanced.

The Elders all live fairly close together and for a moment Hikaku considers visiting them individually, but no, he needs to make a grand gesture. As he heads towards the Uchiha Council Building, he finds a pair of chūnin training.

He pauses on the edge of their training ground and waits. They stop almost instantly, turning towards him. They do not know him, that much is clear, but they bow and respect him regardless. Hikaku lets a small smile cross his face. “Please retrieve the Elders and tell them that there is a Council meeting now running.”

“From who?” One asks after a pause, clearly uncertain.

“Tell them Hikaku requests them as a stand in for Fugaku-kun.”

“Kun?” The second chūnin echoes, but then she’s nodding. “Right, of course. Right away, Hikaku-sama!”

“Tell them it’s on behalf of Fugaku-kun, if that makes things easier,” Hikaku says, smiling. The Elders like to think that they are very important and will only respond to summons from the Clan Head. If that makes things easier, so be it. Hikaku is the one dealing with the outcome and he’s quite certain none of them will be voicing any concerns by the end of the meeting.

The building is dark when he enters it, the reception hall feels overly empty. On silent feet, Hikaku pads through it after flicking open some of the blinds. There’s enough sunlight, even at such an early hour, that the lights aren’t actually needed. The council room itself, on the other hand, does require the lights to be turned on.

It’s been a long time since Hikaku has been in this room. Alone, it feels empty, but it doesn’t feel right either. Then again, he doubts any council room but the one of his youth would feel right. One where he sat on the left of the Clan Head, a little further back than the Clan Heir, and technically hadn’t been required to be there. Slowly exhaling, Hikaku wipes the memory from his mind. He can ruminate on old memories later. His focus should be on the present. Save the old memories for late nights and empty graves, Hikaku has a life to live—however little he has left.

The position he picks is where the Clan Head—or the one standing in for him—would sit. Patiently, he waits. He can feel the soreness from the fight now, muscles telling him to rest and recover. But that won’t be happening whilst there are still things to do, and there is much to do at the moment. Though less now, and most will wait. This is the last major task he’ll have to complete today and then he can stretch and rest and consider the events of the last twenty-four hours.

The youngest Elder is the first one through the door. She looks at Hikaku, dips her head shallowly, and quickly takes a seat. From memory, she’s been an Elder for little under five years and hasn’t had a major voice in any internal clan politics, though all of Hikaku’s information _is_ coming from a third- or second-hand source so perhaps he shouldn’t be trusting it completely.

It’s not long before the other Elders arrive, quickly one after the other. All in all, there’s only five of them. The oldest is in their sixties and seems to recognise Hikaku, judging by the way they give him a shallow bow before he’s even introduced himself. Meanwhile, the other three Elders look infuriated with the world as a whole and are willing to let Hikaku know about it.

Raising an eyebrow, Hikaku waits their muttering out. It takes them less than a minute to cotton on and they quickly take their seats. “I have called for a council today,” Hikaku says, voice clear, and meeting the eyes of each Elder, “on behalf of Fugaku-kun and to inform you of some changes that will be taking place henceforth.”

Hikaku has no doubt that there are other clan members clamouring for a coup d’état, but the most outspoken are likely to be the Elders and many of the others will likely fall in line or at least _think_ with all the changes that will soon take place.

None of the Elders question him, which is one good decision for them so far. On the other hand, it means Hikaku isn’t quite sure where he stands with all of them. One does, however, lean forward and ask, “What changes are those… Hikaku-san?”

“There will be no coup d’état going ahead,” Hikaku says with a smile that only just hides a snarl; he’s sure Tōka would appreciate it. “In fact, the Uchiha Clan will be working on improving our relationships with Konoha, as well as with the other clans. We will be continuing to be at _peace_.”

One of the Elders barks a laugh, scoffing at him. “Konoha will never change. Those are lies that the Hokage whispers to you. The rest of Konoha will never accept us. They will only continue to hate us and isolate us!”

“Did you notice the fight last night?” Hikaku says. “One of the people responsible for our isolation is dead by the Hokage’s orders.” He’s taking a bit of a guess here. There’s no solid evidence linking Danzō to the seclusion of the Uchiha Clan, but Danzō had stolen Sharingan and Hikaku feels confident making such assumptions. He smiles without hiding the threat this time. “So I am here, telling you, that there will be no civil war in Konoha nor will we be trying to seize control. In fact, we’re going to work closer with Konoha and ensure that peace remains.”

“Who are you to be telling us this? You come in here calling yourself Hikaku and have failed to give us any reason to trust you!”

His grin widens, he can’t help it. “I’m Uchiha Hikaku and Clan Head a number of years ago, _and_ I was one of those responsible for drawing up the treaty between Konoha and our clan.”

“I wasn’t aware you were still around,” one of the Elders says, then clearly looks shocked at what he said.

It’s enough to make Hikaku laugh. “Yes,” he says. “Alive and kicking, fortunately for the rest of you.” He meets their gazes individually, silently. “Are we in agreement?”

The oldest Elder is the one who immediately nods. “Yes, Hikaku-sama. I’ll do my best to help too.” They look around. “If Hikaku-sama says there is a chance at peace with Konoha, I say we go for it. More than that, perhaps we need the reminder that things have been much worse and we gained peace then. It’s possible to keep the peace now.”

“I’m sure Hikaku-san can offer much expertise in these matters,” a different Elder says. Not the youngest, but sitting next to her. “However, Hikaku-san must admit that the situations between our times are quite different. Currently, we are being isolated within Konoha rather than attempting to build peace between two warring clans.”

“And if we are not careful, we will be in a war of our own making,” Hikaku answers. “Or maybe we’ll all be killed due to your superiority complex. Yes, our situations are remarkably different, but that does not mean peace is impossible. In fact, there is already a base to build on here.” Then, hardening, Hikaku says, “More to the point, Fugaku-kun is your _Clan Head_ and you will be obeying his commands and decisions for the Clan. The Elders are here to advise and guide but not to control or push their own agendas forward. _Now_ , do we have an understanding?”

The majority of the Elders are quiet now, thoughtful if not outright agreeing with him. “We gained our positions rightfully,” the same one who spoke earlier says, glaring at Hikaku. “We are owed a voice in the Clan!”

“You have a voice! You are here. That should be enough.” Hikaku considers the Elders, considers _why_ they had been made in the first place. It’d been far before his time and had always been the structure of the Uchiha Clan for as long as he could remember. However, there had been a reason—it’d been to prevent bad Clan Heads and to ensure that battlefields were led well and that the Clan agreed with the Clan Head. The Elders were, effectively, meant to be the voice of the Clan should they not be able to bring the matter up to the Clan Head by themselves. Now, though, it seems that the Elders are ninjas who’ve left their days of battle and missions far behind and try to live easy lives while pushing their own individual agendas forward.

The history of the Clan has not disappeared. They have recorded it in stories, in books, in their eyes. It is taught to everyone as that is how the Uchiha Clan has always operated and Hikaku knows that that has not changed, even decades later.

“If you think that you are owed a voice then you don’t understand the necessity of the Elders.” It’s not Hikaku who speaks, but the youngest Elder. When everyone looks at her, she raises her chin and refuses to back in. “I may be the youngest in this room and held my position the shortest out of everyone here, but maybe that means I remember what it’s like to _not_ be an Elder the most. We’re meant to bring forward people’s concerns as best we can, and offer advice and guidance when the Clan Head asks for it.”

At this, the Elder subsides, thoughtfully and without protest. Hikaku makes a note to talk to Fugaku when he gets a second. They’ll have to keep an eye on that Elder, but Hikaku has a feeling the other Elders might be able to watch their own fairly well.

He wonders if they should look into changing the position of being an Elder and what it means. Perhaps the time for Elders is past and they need a different kind of council setup in the clan. It seems that they have not kept up with the times as much as Hikaku had thought they had.

“Thank you,” Hikaku says. “If that is all, I dismiss this council. Thank you for your time.”

As one, the Elders rise to their feet. Three of them file towards the doors, but two wait, and Hikaku stands, glancing at them. “It’s been a long time since you were in the political field, Hikaku-sama,” the Elder says—and it’s the one that had bowed to Hikaku at the beginning too. “Before my time, even.”

“Perhaps too long,” Hikaku says, “but perhaps I wasn’t needed. It was, however, remiss of me to hide myself away on the outskirts of the Clan. Life has gone on and I had forgotten that.”

“We all make mistakes, Hikaku-sama,” the younger Elder says. “It’s what you learn from them that matters.”

It’s what Hikaku’s been saying often in the last few hours and he smiles. “Indeed. From now on, I will try to be more involved in Uchiha Clan and Konoha’s community as a whole. It… will be good to be around people once again, I think.”

“And we’ll be pleased to see you again,” the youngest Elder says. “Stories can be forgotten, Hikaku-sama, especially when names are left out of legends. Perhaps you can remind the Uchiha, and Konoha as a whole, that our clan has had a massive impact in Konoha and that we still care for the village.”

“Indeed. Don’t lock yourself away.”

Hikaku inclines his head. “I won’t,” he says, and the words feel like a promise. It is a promise, he thinks, to himself and the two Elders in front of him and also the Uchiha Clan as a whole. Hikaku’s not going to disappear back to his isolated any house and stay there now. He probably should’ve done this earlier but…

Well, Hikaku’s lived long past almost all of his friends. Then there had been the fact he’d stepped into Madara’s shoes, stab wound on his back still healing, and become Clan Head despite having no training. When he’d stepped down, it had been with no friends from the Clan Wars but Mito. It’d also been the first time he could consider the events surrounding Madara’s betrayal and exile and how they’d impacted him personally, rather than compartmentalising it and thinking about the clan only.

“Then we will be seeing you sometime soon,” the older Elder says with a smile. “Don’t be a stranger,” they call as they leave the room, the other Elder walking with them. Hikaku, now alone, watches them leave.

Then he, too, leaves, flicking off the lights and closing the blinds as he does so. There is only the question of what comes next. There is a lot, he knows, but very little of it will be occurring in the next few hours. Rather, Hikaku has some time to himself before he truly involves himself with everything going on.

He exits the building but, rather than heading towards his house, he heads elsewhere. Instead, he goes further into the Compound and towards one place he has visited somewhat often though usually on one anniversary of something or another.

Unlike the previous night, there are many people moving around now. And Hikaku knows that no one knows what’s happened in the past few hours, but he feels like something’s changed. He knows that it’s probably just his own mind looking at things differently, but… the Compound feels lighter.

The graveyard is empty aside from a few birds chirping to one another in the trees. A good number of the graves have fresh flowers and little mementos before them. The graves that Hikaku wants aren’t here, not really. Izuna died before Konoha and Madara left Konoha and was denied a grave, both on Hikaku’s order and by decision of the Clan. However, there _is_ a pillar for the Uchihas who died before Konoha’s founding and it’s this that Hikaku finds himself standing in front of.

He knows that ghosts do not talk, but he’s also aware that he feels better after talking to them. Tilting his head back, he fixes his gaze on the blue sky above, watching the clouds chase each other in the wind. “Hey,” he says. “It’s not been very long since I last spoke to you, I know.” It’d been the other week, in fact. Though he hadn’t been speaking to the Uchihas then, but rather others he’d known over time. He doesn’t think he’s directing his words at Izuna or Madara, not really. It’s at all of his ghosts, at all the Uchihas who’ve died, at everyone who’ll listen.

“But life’s changing now. We’re… on the cusp of something. I think it’ll end up being good—now, at least. It’s not just the lifestyle of the Clan that’s changing either. _I’m_ changing and I want to too. I’ve kept myself isolated for too long, I think. It’s hard without anyone I know and love here, but that’s only because I haven’t let myself make new ties, isn’t it? I’m sure… Well, I don’t quite know what you’d say. It’s been a long time and things have changed a lot since then.”

It’s such a strange realisation, and one he’s having awfully late. It’s not the first time he’s considered how young his friends died at, but it _is_ the first time he’s considering how he doesn’t really remember them that well. He remembers their faces and voices with picture-perfect clarity thanks to the Sharingan, but… he struggles to recall their exact personalities and struggles to consider what they might do in his place. They’d had nothing like this in their time, not really. Tobirama and Mito might be the only ones who’d be able to relate or even understand Konoha and the peace they have here.

There’s a loud step from behind him, and Hikaku glances backwards and sees… Itachi. “Hikaku-sama,” Itachi says, shifting slightly as if uncomfortable, “are you…”

Hikaku smiles and turns away from the grave. “I’m okay,” he says and he’s said before, but it feels truer than ever before. “It’s a good day to be alive.” Itachi blinks at him and Hikaku steps forward, away from the grave and closer to Itachi. “I thought you’d still be with Shisui-kun,” he says in offering.

“There’s nothing I can do but wait,” Itachi says after a pause. “And Shisui says that he doesn’t want me stuck inside all day and he’s just going to be resting for now anyway. They’ve moved him into the Konoha hospital too.”

It makes sense, but Hikaku doubts that’s the only reason why Itachi is here. “I’m glad to hear he’ll be alright,” Hikaku says, though he’d been certain of that much from the beginning.

Itachi hums. “What are you going to do now?” He asks. “You said you were going to stick around but…”

“I may be old, but I’ve got a number of years still left in me Itachi-kun. I’m not about to stop helping the Uchiha Clan any time soon nor am I about to leave the public eye once again. I won’t take an active position or anything, but I can offer advice whether the person in question wants it or not.”

“Do you think you’d be willing to train me?” Itachi asks out of nowhere. It leaves Hikaku blinking in surprise. “When you fought the other night—against Danzō and also myself—you didn’t hesitate and…”

“And I’m old but still a grand fighter despite not being an active ninja?” Hikaku asks when Itachi falls silent. He smiles as he says it. “Aside from the fact I kept in shape, there’s a few differences between fighting today versus fighting in my time.”

“Actually, I was wondering how you convinced everyone to just… stop fighting.”

That’s not what Hikaku had been expecting, pretty far from it in fact. “Experience,” he says at last. “But also thinking of things from a different perspective and being respected enough so that people consider the thoughts and perspectives you offer helps. It’s not something that necessarily comes with age, though that can help.”

Itachi nods and… and Hikaku thinks for a second of what could be. He thinks about going out into the Compound and Konoha more, thinks about meetings with the Elders and Fugaku and Hiruzen, thinks about trying to reconnect with a Konoha that has grown beyond his wildest dreams.

But there are multiple paths to changing things and here is one that Hikaku hadn’t considered until now. “I’m not sure if it’ll be official,” Hikaku says at last, because he’s unsure the formalities surrounding this for retired ninjas like him, “but I could mentor you, if you want. It’s your choice, of course, and it wouldn’t just be in fighting but also diplomacy and whatever else I can teach you that you want to learn. Shisui-kun too, if he wants.”

He’s taught before, but not anyone for a long period of time. He’s helped out but never been the only teacher to do so. He’s never wanted to be a teacher either, not like Tobirama—too focussed on his own work perhaps. But that’s not his life anymore and Hikaku isn’t the same person he’d once been either. It’s not a bad thing.

“If you’re certain,” Itachi says.

“I wouldn’t offer otherwise,” Hikaku says.

Itachi doesn’t smile or anything, but Hikaku gets the feeling he’s happier. “Today is going to be long,” Hikaku says at last. “Take a rest and I’ll meet you at the Clan Head’s house tomorrow morning at say… half past eight.”

“Very well,” Itachi says, “Hikaku-sensei.” The title is new and Hikaku can’t help but smile at it. He feels lighter than he has in a long time with the sunshine surrounding him and blue skies above, even though he’s standing in a graveyard. His scars might still ache and there’s a storm coming that they’re going to have to weather, but the Uchiha Clan will get through it and Hikaku will be with them throughout.

It feels like it’s going to be a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> The original prompt behind this was old Hikaku talking to Kagami and then I had the thought that Hikaku could totally still be around during the time of the Uchiha Clan massacre because it hadn't been that long since the founding of Konoha. And so this was born. Shout out to Good_Grief for providing the prompt!
> 
> There's some stuff in this fic that I didn't really get to include, unfortunately. Such as the scar on Hikaku's back! You can bet it was Madara who dealt that blow (there's a reason Hikaku didn't end up facing Madara off when he brought the Kyubi in although arguably they should've just grabbed an Uchiha to help out) and it wasn't a mortal one, but it was a debilitating one. 
> 
> Also, that relates to why Hikaku refers to people as being "gone" because whilst most of those he knows are dead, he's including Madara who might not be dead and so is simply gone. 
> 
> Me, thinking about the parallels between Shisui and Izuna giving up their eyes: There might not be many but damn it, I will have Hikaku see them. 
> 
> There's probably a number of strange scenes here, but whatever. Hikaku has like no real personality but what fanon makes for him and I'm willing to do whatever. Also, this is for fun more than anything else, it doesn't have to be perfect. 
> 
> So like I know full-well that Tobirama probably had some bias against the Uchiha Clan or whatever, but also they're ninjas so they'd probably drop it? Like, on a mission someone might be an enemy, but surely you can work pass that? Especially if you have the time and you work alongside them. Hence my reasoning that the Uchiha "only" Police Force was something required at the time, and then lagged behind changes as they occurred. 
> 
> Also as I'm editing this document, I got to the Danzo fight and I always forget why there's like 10 more pages to go rip. Turned out to be the elders which is rather surprising. 
> 
> I know a lot of people don't like Itachi and whatever, but also he's a child and I feel like that's definitely what I was vaguely trying to write here (a ninja child though so like who knows what that is). He doesn't really know what to do and he's struggling and scared and he's just guessing at what to do really. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this fic! Or like didn't hate it I guess.


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